In the past, the glory of being one of the top 16 teams in the league and the hunger to win it all was enough to motivate teams to earn a spot in the NBA playoffs.

For the first time ever, the NBA decided to tack on an added incentive for the 16 teams competing in the NBA postseason.

The NBA teamed up with Nike to produce yet another alternative uniform, but this time only the best of the best earned the privilege of donning new threads.

Some of last year's best teams paid homage to their city's histories, while others opted to put a twist on already popular alternative jerseys. Select teams will first don their uniforms on Christmas Day, while others will debut their new threads shortly after. The Nike NBA Earned Edition jerseys will become available for purchase on December 19.

Check out all 16 NBA "Earned Edition" jerseys below:

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New NBA 'Earned Edition' jerseys

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New NBA 'Earned Edition' jerseys

Click through to see the unique jerseys for last season's playoff teams.

Inspired by the warm-up jackets worn by the franchise's dominant squads of the 1980s, the Boston Celtics Earned Edition uniforms feature the team's classic green base with gold accents and a white trim.

Located just off the banks of Lake Erie, Cleveland gets pummeled with snow and ice each season. The Cavaliers' latest threads pay homage to the winter weather fans often endure when they come out to support the franchise in person.